Summary: Of the three East African British colonies (Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania), Tanzania was the least well off at the time of independence in 1961. At that time, only 16,691 students were enrolled in secondary schools, and all general education at higher levels was provided outside the country. Thus, the goals of post-independence educational policy were the distribution and equalization of educational opportunities and the expansion of the system at all levels, including the attainment of universal primary education. This report reviews the initial evolution and implementation of educational policies through government five-year development plans. From 1969-78, the Education for Self-Reliance (ESR) program became the basis for all major educational policy changes. The final section of the report evaluates the implementation and success of educational policies and finds that the emphasis on achieving universal primary education has led to a system where there are secondary school places for only 4 percent of primary school graduates. The author reviews the financial and macroeconomic circumstances, educational theories and internal and external efficiency criteria that surround the debate about educational quality and ESR. The report finds that some policy objectives have been contradictory and that, in the short run, quantitative and efficiency objectives have been incompatible.